


dream travellers

by thunderylee



Category: NewS (Band)
Genre: Angst, Canon Universe, M/M, Orgasm Denial, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-23
Updated: 2011-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-27 08:53:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12578152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: Five times TegoMasu were dream travellers and one time they lived it.





	dream travellers

**Author's Note:**

> reposted from agck.

Massu blinks at both the late hour and the too-bright face on his doorstep. “What are you doing here,” he asks flatly.

“I got evicted!” Tegoshi announces, like it’s something to be proud of, and Massu just stares at him. “Tinny is with my grandma, but I don’t really want to go back there, so I came here instead.”

For a brief, shining second, Massu has a tiny ounce of sympathy for Tegoshi. He remembers what Tegoshi’s life was like when he was younger, how he couldn’t wait to get his own place, and how he’s _still_ recovering from his messed-up childhood. “ _Why_ did you get evicted?” he asks patiently.

“I guess I left something out,” Tegoshi replies casually. “For a long time. And it attracted bugs, which got into the other apartments and they tracked it back to me and-”

All sympathy disappears as Massu raises a hand to halt him, sufficiently disgusted. “Stop there. There’s no way you’re staying here.”

“But _Maaaassuuuuu_ ,” Tegoshi whines. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“That’s a lie,” Massu tells him. “There are a million places you can go. Koyama would be happy to have you.”

Now Tegoshi’s pouting, and Massu looks away before he falls victim to it. “But we’re working on TegoMasu right now,” Tegoshi goes on. “Won’t it be easier to commute together? We can get a lot of stuff done here too-”

“Absolutely _not_ ,” Massu says firmly, feeling like an inconsiderate asshole as he takes a deep breath. “Come inside, I’ll call Koyama to come pick you up-”

“It’s late,” Tegoshi interrupts, happily skipping past Massu into the apartment. He slips off his shoes and flings his bag on the floor like he’s right at home, flopping onto the couch and bouncing thoughtfully. “This is a little firm. You have a big bed, right?”

“You’re not listening to me.” Massu’s starting to lose his patience, faster than usual due to the late hour. “You are not staying here. I’m calling Koyama right now.”

Tegoshi appears to not hear him, looking around Massu’s living room at the colorful decor, and Massu pulls out his cell phone and hits speed dial #2 before Tegoshi can comment.

“Massu, it’s late for you!” Koyama answers, sounding frantic. “Is everything okay? Are you in trouble?”

Massu smiles, appreciating his new leader’s concern that’s no different from before. “I’m fine, but Tegoshi isn’t. He got evicted and he’s here. Can you come pick him up?”

“Evicted?!” Koyama shrieks, making it sound like it’s on the same level as a car accident. “Oh my god, the poor thing. Is he okay? Where is his puppy?”

“Tinny’s at his grandmother’s, and you know he can’t go back there,” Massu relays, and Tegoshi looks at him fondly from the other room. Massu feels even guiltier and lowers his voice. “He can _not_ stay here, Koyama. He gets on every single one of my nerves. You have to come get him. Now.”

Koyama sneezes then, and Massu’s eyes widen in horror. “Massu, I have the flu. Aren’t you two working right now? He can’t be around me. What if he catches it? Think of your fans who will be disappointed if you have to cancel.” Koyama pauses to cough pitifully. “Besides, he’s not _that_ bad. And he needs you to be there for him right now. Don’t push him away, Massu.”

A few seconds later, Massu hangs up feeling like the scum on the bottom of the ocean. Very, very reluctantly, he turns back to Tegoshi and sighs. “You’re looking for a new place first thing in the morning.”

He feels a little better when Tegoshi grins, rising from the couch and flying across the room to throw his arms around Massu. Normally Massu would cringe, but he’s really tired and has grown used to Tegoshi’s affections by now, so all he does is awkwardly bring up a hand to pat Tegoshi’s back.

“Massu is sleepy~” Tegoshi sing-songs, and Massu nods. “I’m sorry I woke you up. Go back to bed, I’ll be fine on my own.”

Instantly Massu turns on his heel, stumbling back to his room and right into his bed, barely managing to pull up the covers before starting to drift off. But he’s not used to having someone else in his house and hears every single thing Tegoshi does, from opening his bag to washing his face, accompanied by this little underlying hum that has Massu clawing at his sheets. In his mind, he’s yelling for Tegoshi to shut the fuck up, but in reality all he does is lay there, like every part of his body is asleep except for his brain.

Then his door creaks and Massu’s eyes pop open. He sees Tegoshi with his bangs pulled up, drowning in a giant T-shirt and basketball shorts, and Massu grunts at him. Tegoshi smiles, like he interpreted the noise to mean “welcome to my bedroom” instead of “what are you doing here,” and by the time Massu realizes that Tegoshi’s climbing into his bed, he’s lost the will to fight anymore.

“If you snore, I’m kicking you to the floor,” he mumbles.

“I don’t snore,” Tegoshi says, his soft voice entirely too close as he snuggles up to Massu’s back. “That’s Kei-chan, not me.”

“I’m going to sleep now,” Massu declares.

All he does is inhale sharply when Tegoshi wraps his arms around him, hugging him from behind and burying his face between Massu’s shoulder blades. “Good night, Massu.”

Massu’s already sleep before he even hears his name.

*

The lights are bright enough to fool Massu into thinking it’s daytime when the sky is black, people of all shapes and colors rushing by in every direction while loud beeps and rings sound all around him. He recognizes the place right away, but has no idea why he’s here.

“Massu!” Tegoshi’s distinct yell pierces Massu’s brain amidst the silence, and Massu has never been so grateful to see Tegoshi before in his entire life. “I found you!”

Massu forgoes all propriety and pulls Tegoshi into his arms, feeling the warmth and smelling Tegoshi’s fruity shampoo as he calms down from the embrace. “Why are we in Las Vegas?”

“Ah!” Tegoshi exclaims, pulling away enough to look around. “We _are_ in Las Vegas! I’ve always wanted to come here.”

He runs away to look at a flashing neon sign, and Massu rushes to catch up with him. He’s not going to lose him in this foreign city. “But _why_ are we here, Tegoshi? We were just sleeping!”

Tegoshi spins around and grins at him. “Dream travellers.”

“Dream travellers?” Massu repeats. “Like our song?”

Nodding, Tegoshi grabs his hand. “In our dreams, anything is possible! Come on, let’s go play casino games. I feel lucky!”

“It sure looks real,” Massu mutters to himself as he follows Tegoshi inside the nearest hotel and casino. He’s not even suspicious when Tegoshi plants his ass at every table in the game room and wins pot after pot. He buys them both velour suits and fedoras, Massu’s gold and Tegoshi’s magenta, and Massu swears he can taste the delicious food at the buffet.

“Do you do this often?” Massu asks him after inhaling a rack of ribs. “Dream travelling.”

Tegoshi nods as he slurps down a strawberry shake. “Doesn’t everyone? This is why dreams exist, to do the things we aren’t capable of doing in real life.”

“But we’re travelling together,” Massu continues, the logic fuzzy in his head. “Does that mean we’re sharing a dream? Like in _Inception_?”

Shrugging, Tegoshi stuffs his face with cake. “No idea. I know I’m here with you, but you could just be dreaming me, too. We won’t know for sure until we wake up.”

“This is confusing,” Massu declares. “But if this is a dream, then I can eat all I want without consequences, right?”

Tegoshi grins again, frosting all over his lips. “Now you’re getting it.”

After three more trips to the buffet, Massu doesn’t even feel full as they adjust their hats and strut down Las Vegas Boulevard. They pass an obvious strip club and Tegoshi lifts an eyebrow, at which Massu shrugs casually as he ducks inside, Tegoshi hot on his heels. Dance music throbs all around them as women move around on dimly-lit stages in only platform heels, spinning on poles and gyrating in the faces of anyone who waves bills at them, and Massu swallows hard as he reconsiders his impromptu decision to enter this kind of place.

Tegoshi, however, looks right at home. He plops down at a table and smiles up at the girl, who instantly fawns over him and gives him a special lap dance for being cute. Slowly Massu slips into the next seat, trying not to stare, and ends up jumping when a topless waitress appears at his side offering drinks. Massu politely waves her off, his eyes lingering on her breasts, and he wonders why he feels so awkward being here with Tegoshi when Tegoshi is clearly living it up.

“She was nice,” Tegoshi tells Massu later, his face still covered in glitter from the stripper’s chest. “She could use some pole-dancing lessons, though. I could probably do it better than her.”

Massu is definitely not thinking about Tegoshi swinging from a pole, especially in a dream that already feels out of his control, and Tegoshi offers him a curious look like he can read his mind. Before he can call him on it, Massu drags him up and down the strip and points out the colorful buildings and decor a little too enthusiastically.

“I’m ready for something different,” Tegoshi says, folding his arms and frowning. “Where to next?”

“Only you would get bored in Las Vegas,” Massu chides, and Tegoshi shrugs. “And what makes you think I can just change it?”

“Because it’s your dream,” Tegoshi says firmly. “I’m just here for the ride.”

“But I don’t know how-” Massu starts, falling silent when Tegoshi steps up into his face.

Fingers push down his eyelids, and Massu sighs. “All you have to do is close your eyes.”

*

The next thing he notices is that he weighs a ton, and his first thought is that he’s going to kill Tegoshi for misleading him about gaining weight in his dreams. At least, he will when he finds him.

All he sees are elephants – a whole herd of them, it seems. They’re in front of him, behind him, and next to him for miles, the ground hot under his feet as all four of them rush to keep up.

Massu blinks as he realizes that he shouldn’t have four feet, then looks down to see gray stumps and a long gray trunk swinging from side to side. He’s so shocked that he stops walking, earning a head-butt from the elephant behind him when he holds them up.

“Move it, Massu!” Tegoshi hisses, and Massu scrambles back up to pace as fast as he can. He feels a weight pulling on his tail and looks behind his shoulder to see another elephant gripping it with his trunk, a pink bow around each ear despite the large tusks showing that he’s male.

“Tegoshi?” he asks.

Tegoshi flaps his ears, which Massu supposes is the elephant equivalent of a smile. “This is much more interesting, Massu,” he tells him. “I’ve never dreamt of being an elephant before. Nor have I been to Africa.”

“We’re in Africa?” Massu questions as he looks around. It’s grassy, with highlands and forest areas, and Massu notices a big cliff up ahead. “There’s some kind of commotion over there.”

“Exciting!” is all Tegoshi says, and Massu’s curiosity piques as they get closer and closer to the other animals. Massu parks next to an unimpressed-looking monkey. “What’s going on here?”

“New king of the pride,” the monkey replies with a yawn, his eyebrows strangely reminiscent of Shige. “Mandatory attendance, too fucking early.”

“King of the…” Massu repeats, then swings his big elephant head around to see Tegoshi sitting happily next to him. “I think we’re in _The Lion King_ , Tegoshi.”

“Cool~” Tegoshi says in awe. “Look, there’s Simba!”

A scared-looking lion peeks over the edge of the cliff, cringing at the cheering and applause. He doesn’t even look old enough to have a mane, not to mention he’s obviously _terrified_ even though he’s standing tall and addressing the animals of his pride.

“Although it’s sudden, I’ll do my best to lead you all,” says a very familiar voice, and both Massu and Tegoshi perk at the sound. “Please continue to support me like you supported King Tomo.”

The crowd roars so loudly that the young lion covers his head with both front paws, then bows sheepishly at them.

“Kei-chan,” Tegoshi gasps first, his beady elephant eyes glistening at the recognition. “Massu, it’s so sweet that you think of Kei-chan like this.”

Massu picks some berries off of a nearby bush with his trunk and eats them. Not bad. “What do you mean?”

“You’re dreaming of Kei-chan being our new leader,” Tegoshi explains, “and everyone here is behind him. It shows you have faith in him.”

“Of course I do,” Massu says firmly. “Koyama can do anything.”

A tear falls from Tegoshi’s eye, and Massu looks away in discomfort. Then Tegoshi’s leaning on him, curling their tails together, and Massu’s ears flap angrily until Tegoshi starts to sing. “ _Can you feel the love tonight_ ~”

Tegoshi’s voice sounds just as pleasant as it does in real life, and Massu sings along on the choruses while Koyama accepts his crown and the monkey continues to look annoyed. Massu doesn’t much mind being an elephant, although it’s difficult to move around with all of this extra weight. Tegoshi seems to manage, though, at least he doesn’t look exhausted or even bothered as he lays on Massu unapologetically.

Massu is used to this, though, so he just grabs some more berries and offers them to Tegoshi.

*

“I’m starting to see the appeal of this dream travelling business,” Massu calls out as he soars through the sky, doing somersaults and cartwheels in mid-air just because he can. His cape billows behind him, matching his red hair, and the wind looks almost animated as it breaks for his punch.

He lands on a roof, puffing out his chest with his hands on his hips, and looks around for his sidekick. “Tegoshi?”

“Um, Massu?” a version of Tegoshi’s voice answers him. A much higher one. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Massu’s eyes widen as a female in all white approaches him, one with Tegoshi’s exact face and wild, billowing hair. “W-who are you?”

“Tegodiva,” she replies, offering him a look that’s half amused and half annoyed. “And I would be much more upset with you if I couldn’t do _this_.”

Her hair turns into a pair of wings, taking laps around Massu until his head spins. “Why are you a girl?”

“You tell me,” Tegoshi replies, stopping right in front of Massu and eyeing him. “It’s your dream.”

“Um…” Massu swallows, staring hard at Tegoshi’s face so he doesn’t look down at the rest of her new body. “Must have been a glitch.”

Tegoshi laughs, the smooth sound sending a shiver up Massu’s spine. “Whatever, pervert. Let’s go stop crime.”

“Hey,” Massu protests, reaching out to grab Tegoshi’s arm. “I am not a pervert.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m dressed like a skank.” Tegoshi runs a finger down her very low-cut cleavage and gives Massu a knowing look. “At least you made me hot.”

“You look like yourself…” Massu says in confusion, then gasps as Tegoshi completely disappears. “Tegoshi?”

“You also gave me transparency,” Tegoshi goes on, her sardonic laughter even creepier when she’s invisible. “Catch me if you can!”

Massu frowns, because how is he supposed to catch something he can’t see? Then a flash of white appears in the sky and he’s airborne in an instant, quickly meeting up with Tegoshi who’s staying afloat by the flapping of the big golden wings on her head. “Where are we, even?” he asks breathlessly when he reaches her.

“Tokyo, looks like,” Tegoshi answers as she peers down. “Ah! That conbini…”

It takes Massu a second to notice that Tegoshi had flown to the ground, where Massu joins her and stares in awe at the cashier being held up by two masked gunmen. “A robbery!” he says excitedly. “Let’s stop it!”

But Tegoshi’s already gone, the door opening and closing for seemingly no one, and the guns suddenly scatter from the robbers’ hands. Then Tegoshi materializes, a psychotic grin on her face as she drop-kicks them both, and Massu frowns at his thunder being stolen by his sidekick. But before he can get too upset, a third goon emerges from the back, approaching an unsuspecting Tegoshi with a shiny knife.

Massu screams, breaking through the door and leaping over Tegoshi’s back to punch the guy in the face. They do some intense battle choreography that involves a lot of flips and kicks on Massu’s part, and finally the third criminal drops to the floor with the other two, whom Tegoshi ties together.

“Thank you so much!” the cashier gushes at Massu. “I don’t know what I would have done if not for Masuperman!”

“And Tegodiva,” Tegoshi adds pointedly, flipping her hair out of her face as she stands next to Massu. “I took out the gunmen, remember?”

The cashier just fawns over Massu and offers him anything in the store, which Massu generously shares with Tegoshi, who’s still pouting as they leave.

“Sidekicks do all the work,” she grumbles, “and get none of the glory.”

“Like you said,” Massu tells her, “it’s my dream.”

“Pervert,” she taunts again, and Massu spends the next hour chasing the invisible cackling around the sky.

*

The house is gorgeous. Massu knows it’s because he made it this way, but he’s still enamored to find everything he’s ever wanted in a single structure. Brightly-colored decor, strategic layouts, the traditional white picket fence that shields the play structure from the street.

Massu pauses at the sight of the plastic swingset and slide, the realization slowly occurring to him as his body becomes flooded with warmth and happiness. Before he’s fully accepted it, he hears tiny footsteps and an even tinier voice calling out “Papa!”

The little girl looks just like him, her hair in pigtails as she grins and lifts her arms to be picked up. Massu instantly obliges, feeling like he wants to cry as he holds her – his daughter – in his arms.

“I’m home~” a voice calls out from the kitchen, followed by a door closing, and Massu freezes. “There was sale on pork, Taka-chan, so I thought I’d get some for you to make gyoza.”

Tegoshi trots into the living room with a big smile on his face, which fades into confusion when he sees Massu’s shocked expression.

“Eh?” Massu gets out.

“If I make it, you’ll just whine about it not being as good as yours,” Tegoshi says with an eyeroll. “So just make it yourself.”

“Okay,” Massu says slowly, his attention brought back to the little girl as she squirms to be put down. Instantly she runs to Tegoshi and does the same thing, and Massu just stares at him as he picks her up and kisses her forehead like she’s his own.

“You’re getting big, Tebuta,” he coos at her. “Almost too big for me to pick up.”

Tebuta laughs at him. “You’re just small, Daddy.”

Massu snorts until he realizes what the child just called Tegoshi. The truth hits him suddenly and all he can do is just watch in horror as Tegoshi spins the little girl around a few times before putting her down.

“Why don’t you go play outside while Papa and I make dinner?” he suggests, and Tebuta nods firmly enough to shake her pigtails before disappearing through the back door.

“Tegoshi,” Massu says slowly, gulping as Tegoshi approaches him.

“I’d think you wouldn’t call me that like this,” Tegoshi replies, looking entirely too amused as he smirks up at Massu. “But at least I’m not a girl this time.”

“Are we…” Massu starts, unable to finish the question.

Tegoshi grabs his left hand and examines the golden band that matches his own. “It appears so.”

“And we have a daughter,” Massu goes on, his mind sufficiently blown. “How is that even possible?”

Shrugging, Tegoshi’s gaze drifts out the window, where Tebuta is swinging happily. “No idea. She looks just like you, so maybe you did one of those artificial insemination things, or your sister was a surrogate. One of us could have even done it. Anything goes in a dream world.”

“ _Why_ am I dreaming about… this… with you?” Massu spits out, and Tegoshi scoffs. “And why are you so okay with it?”

“I’m open-minded,” Tegoshi answers simply. “I told you already, I’m just here for the ride.”

Those words sound much different in this context, and Massu turns away before Tegoshi can see him blush. He focuses on the little girl outside, her actual name coming to him out of nowhere. “Tetsuko.”

“Yeah,” Tegoshi says, his smile turning genuine as he claps Massu on the back. “Come on, Papa, make gyoza so your family doesn’t starve.”

It feels like autopilot as Massu cooks, his mind pleasantly numb from the incredulity of this particular scenario, and his only comfort is that it’s not real. Even if Tegoshi really is dreaming this with him, they can just laugh about it in the morning and everything will go back to normal.

“ _Or_ you can do something about this elephant in the room with us,” Tegoshi says, nearly making Massu flip over the sizzling pan in surprise. “Yes, I can hear your thoughts. One of the perks to all of this.”

“I… what elephant?” Massu asks, flustered, and as soon as the words are out of his mouth, he sees the two ceramic elephants in the windowsill, one pink and one blue, their trunks spiralled together.

“Massu,” Tegoshi says quietly, hopping up onto the counter next to him. “You’re obviously in love with me. Just do something about it, okay? There’s only time for one more dream before we have to wake up.”

“ _What_?” Massu exclaims, moving the pan from the flame before he burns the whole dream house down. “I’ve never even thought about you like that before, Tegoshi.”

“Until tonight,” Tegoshi adds, and Massu frowns at the realization that he’s right. “I don’t mind at all, Massu, but you should probably tell me when we’re both awake in case you really are imagining my presence as well.”

“I kind of hope I am,” Massu admits. “I don’t know how I feel, Tegoshi. I mean, looking around, it’s obvious what my subconscious wants, but I don’t think I could do this for real. Not with you.”

Tegoshi’s face falls, and he jumps as the back door opens and shuts. “At least pretend in front of her,” he whispers. “I know it’s only a dream, but still.”

Nodding, Massu finishes the gyoza and sits down to eat with Tegoshi and Tebuta. It feels comfortable, normal, even when Massu has to nag Tegoshi to clean up since he cooked. He settles in to watch a children’s movie with Tebuta curled up in his lap, who is joined by Tegoshi and Massu doesn’t have the heart to push him away. If he’s being honest with himself, that feels comfortable, too.

“She’s asleep,” Tegoshi whispers, starting to sit up. “You don’t have to be so close to me anymore.”

“Shut up,” Massu tells him, and leans over Tebuta’s head to press their lips together.

*

The surroundings have changed, but everything else is still the same, only now Massu and Tegoshi are kissing on a bed that rocks with them.

“A waterbed, Massu?” Tegoshi asks incredulously, his laughter tickling Massu’s lips. “Even your fantasies are conservative.”

“Shut up,” Massu says again, threading his fingers in Tegoshi’s hair as he kisses him hard enough to pull a gasp from him. Massu takes advantage of the opening to slip his tongue into Tegoshi’s mouth, which is instantly flicked by Tegoshi’s and Massu doesn’t understand how this can be a dream when everything feels so, so real.

The bed waves when Massu throws Tegoshi down, more roughly than he’d intended, but Tegoshi doesn’t seem bothered by it. With the way he’s kissing back, he’s not bothered by much of anything right now, and Massu has a passing thought that all of this may not be entirely under his control. Then Tegoshi’s arms loop around his torso, pulling him closer, and Massu stops thinking.

The second Massu wishes away their clothes, it happens, Tegoshi’s skin warm against his as they move together. His hands slide all over Tegoshi’s body, wanting to touch him everywhere at once, and Tegoshi shudders from the attention. He arches when Massu’s thumbs brush over his nipples and Massu does it again, and again, taking them between his thumb and forefinger to rub while Tegoshi grabs him by the ass and pulls him down for a firm grind. Massu groans at the feeling of Tegoshi’s erection digging into his abdomen and rolls his hips, one of his hands dropping between Tegoshi’s legs to touch the hardness for himself.

The sound Tegoshi makes is beautiful, Massu tearing his mouth away so he can hear it better, his kisses transferred to Tegoshi’s jaw and neck instead. Tegoshi reaches down to coil his fingers around Massu as well, and now Massu’s deep groans are mixed in with Tegoshi’s, their own private harmony that escalates as their actions get faster.

Tegoshi nudges Massu over enough for their hands to bump, opening his hand to stroke Massu’s cock with his, and feeling Tegoshi hard against him _there_ is enough for Massu to throw away all sense of dignity and trail his fingers further down. Tegoshi’s legs automatically lift, his moans encouraging as Massu stretches his other hand out and magically finds what he needs.

“Tegoshi,” he hisses as he squirts the substance onto his hands. “I think we’re wizards this time.”

“Appropriate,” Tegoshi replies, his breath catching as Massu pushes a finger into him. “Is there a spell to make you fuck me faster?”

In response, Massu captures his mouth again, drinking down his moans and whines as he stretches him carefully and adds two more fingers. The bed keeps the rhythm until Tegoshi’s pushing back fast enough to offset it, gasping into Massu’s mouth with each thrust of Massu’s fingers deep inside him, touching something that drives him crazy, and Massu can barely wait for his hand to get out of the way before he lines up his cock with Tegoshi’s opening and slowly eases himself inside.

“Massu,” Tegoshi says, clutching to Massu’s arms. “Dreams mean it doesn’t hurt. Fuck me like you want to, please.”

Massu’s body moves on its own, hips snapping and mind racing from Tegoshi’s shrill noises as Massu pounds into him. It feels more real than anything he’s dreamt tonight, Tegoshi’s body squeezing him inside and out as Massu builds up to a pretty intense release.

“Tegoshi,” Massu gasps, and Tegoshi moans in acknowledgement. “Am I actually going to come for real, or..?”

Tegoshi’s laugh seems out of place, at least until he speaks. “There’s only three things you can’t do in dreams: die, sleep, and orgasm.”

The implication hits Massu along with his first pang of frustration. “What the fuck?”

Tegoshi moans louder at Massu’s tone, which isn’t nice at all, squirming as his hand returns to his cock. He tightens even more around Massu, and Massu feels like he’s going to explode.

“It’s not just you,” Tegoshi tells him. “I can’t come either. We’ll have to wait until we wake up.”

Massu’s heart drops to his knees at this. “But then we’ll have to…”

“ _Massu_ ,” Tegoshi whimpers, and Massu jerks with another wave of frustration. “Close your eyes.”

“I don’t want to,” Massu says stubbornly, willing himself to stop and pull out. “Let’s just calm down so that we won’t jump each other in the real world, okay?”

“It won’t be as strong,” Tegoshi assures him. “Just a little worse than morning wood.”

“You say that like you’ve done it before,” Massu says accusingly.

“Aren’t you the cute jealous one,” Tegoshi accuses right back, smiling as he struggles to catch his breath. “And again, everyone does it. Now close your eyes.”

“I wish I knew for sure what will happen when I wake up,” Massu says as the panic rises inside him.

Tegoshi leans up to kiss him. “You won’t know until you try.”

Massu returns the kiss full-force, because he may never get this chance again.

*

The sun is barely trickling in from the window blinds as Massu’s eyes pop open, his entire body tensing as his dreams rush to the front of his mind. A quick look to the side shows Tegoshi snuggled up next to him, peacefully asleep, and Massu wonders what he’s dreaming about now that Massu isn’t there with him.

His arousal is still there, just forceful enough to make its presence known, and Massu rolls out of bed into the shower to take care of it. He doesn’t even have any shame reliving his last dream as his hand flies up and down his cock, the wrist of his other hand in his mouth to muffle his noises. It feels so good to come, his body tingling from head to toe as he spills over his fingers and collapses against the walls of his shower. If only he could have done that inside Tegoshi.

He shoves those kinds of thoughts out of his head as he dries off and gets dressed, heading down to the kitchen to make breakfast and fully returning to reality. They have meetings in the afternoon, but the morning is free, and Massu compiles a mental list of apartment complexes in the area that won’t check Tegoshi’s rental history.

“‘Morning,” Tegoshi mumbles, shuffling into the kitchen with sleepy eyes and adorable bed hair that Massu has to fight himself to keep from ruffling. Instead he just plops food onto the table, something inside him fluttering at Tegoshi’s grateful smile, and he concentrates on eating until his curiosity gets the best of him.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks carefully, acting like nothing is important about it.

“Mm,” Tegoshi confirms, finishing his bite before speaking. “Your bed is really soft.”

“I’m glad.” Massu takes a deep breath, building up the courage to ask the next question. “Any interesting dreams?”

Tegoshi frowns. “I don’t remember my dreams,” he answers, and Massu’s heart aches. “I wish I did, because sometimes I wake up really happy, or really upset, but I don’t know why.”

Massu just stares at him. At first he thinks Tegoshi’s kidding, but Tegoshi usually announces a joke right away and he’s gone back to eating, oblivious to Massu’s quick progression of emotions that leave him feeling numb. There was always the possibility of Tegoshi not actively sharing the dream with him, but he’d never thought that Tegoshi would share it and not _remember_ it.

“Massu?” Tegoshi says, looking concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he replies. “I thought of some places you could look for an apartment this morning. I’ll go with you, if you want.”

He pretends not to see Tegoshi’s pout, because now it affects him much differently. “Is it really so bad if I stay here?”

“Yes,” Massu answers, and he mentally adds _especially after last night_. “We’re too different, Tegoshi. Like fire and water.”

“Fire and water complement each other,” Tegoshi points out. “Water puts out the fire, and fire evaporates the water.”

Massu blinks. “I guess I never thought of it like that.”

Smiling, Tegoshi thanks him for the meal and trots off to the shower, leaving his dirty dishes on the table, and Massu just sighs as he picks them up. He can’t even bring himself to be aggravated about it; he’s too preoccupied with flashes of last night’s dreams to focus on anything more than what he needs to _forget_. Why couldn’t _he_ be the one blessed with not remembering his dreams?

“You’re acting strange,” Tegoshi tells him later, cornering him between meetings. “Did I do something bad in my sleep last night? Please tell me, Massu. We can’t do our best together if things are weird between us.”

“Did you wake up happy this morning?” Massu blurts out, and he hadn’t realized how badly he wanted to know until the question left his mouth.

Tegoshi looks surprised, but thoughtful as he thinks back to this morning. “Yes, actually. I was very comfortable and your sheets smell nice and there’s something about your room that just makes me feel good.”

“You said when you have really good dreams, you wake up really happy,” Massu says, trying not to sound as rushed as he feels. “Was it that kind of happy?”

“I… don’t think so,” Tegoshi replies, tilting his head in confusion. “Massu?”

“Nothing,” Massu says, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing.”

“You’re a bad liar,” Tegoshi says, and Massu gives it up. “I don’t understand why my dreams have any effect on you. Did _you_ have lasting dreams?”

Massu’s thoughts race through his head, his brain and his heart arguing for probably the first time, and all Massu knows is the truth. “Yes,” he says, so forcefully that Tegoshi takes a step back. “You were there, and the whole time you said that we were dreaming it together.”

“Inception isn’t real,” Tegoshi says gently. “You were dreaming me saying that.”

“You said that might be the case, but…” Massu trails off. “I just thought it might have happened that way, you know? I mean, some of them were fun. You would have liked them.”

“Oh?” Tegoshi inquires, looking interested. “What were they about?”

Massu clears his throat nervously. “Well, first we went to Las Vegas, which you found boring, then we were elephants in Africa watching Kei-chan the lion get crowned King-”

“Ah, that sounds cool!” Tegoshi interjects.

“- and finally, we were superheroes flying around Tokyo and fighting crime. We stopped a robbery at the conbini by work.”

“Superheroes?” Tegoshi repeats. “You were Masuperman, right? What was my superhero name?”

“Um,” Massu replies, trying to think of something _else_ that would go with Tegoshi’s name. Failing, he just gives in. “Tegodiva.”

Tegoshi purses his lips as he considers this. “I probably _would_ be a superhero _ine_ , huh?”

Letting out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, Massu just nods. “Yeah.”

“Is that it?” Tegoshi asks, sounding surprised. “It doesn’t seem like any of those would be important for me to remember. I thought maybe it was something more serious.”

“I…” Massu starts, mentally kicking himself. He is _not_ going to tell Tegoshi about the last two, now or ever, but he’s managed to back himself into this corner and he knows that Tegoshi won’t let it go until he gets the logical reason for Massu’s distance.

“It’s okay,” Tegoshi says suddenly, stepping back and shoving his hands into his pockets. “You don’t have to tell me. Just… whatever you saw, whatever I did, it didn’t really happen, okay?”

“I know,” Massu insists, very aware what he’s admitting to. “I’m sorry for being weird.”

Tegoshi shakes his head, flashing a smile, and Massu feels it in his heart. “I’ll move out tomorrow. I liked the first place we looked at this morning. It has a lot of windows.”

“Okay,” Massu says, and they get back to work. Everything is back to how it was, better even, and Massu has more fun at work than he’s ever had before. He imagines when NEWS starts working together again, it will be better, too.

He has those dreams to thank for it, and even if none of them will ever come true, he’ll cherish them always.

*

That night, Tegoshi sleeps on the couch and doesn’t appear in Massu’s dreams. Massu wakes up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, for reasons he doesn’t quite understand, and it’s strong enough to urge him right out of bed and into the living room.

Tegoshi’s tossing and turning on the couch, making frustrated noises and Massu runs to him, banging his knee on the coffee table on the way. He just drops to kneel by the couch, grabbing Tegoshi by both shoulders and shaking him awake, and Tegoshi’s eyes pop _wide_ open before he throws his arms around Massu’s neck and gasps into his collarbone.

“Shh, it’s okay,” Massu says, returning the embrace and stroking his hair. “It’s okay.”

He can feel Tegoshi’s heartbeat calm down, his breaths becoming even until he finally sighs. “Sorry if I woke you up.”

“You didn’t, actually,” Massu admits. “I just… happened to be up.”

“I remember,” Tegoshi says quickly, and now Massu’s heart is beating fast. “I don’t want to remember, but I do. I wish you hadn’t woken me up. If I’d endured it, I would have forgotten about it by morning.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Massu prods him.

“No.” Tegoshi’s tone is more final than Massu’s ever heard from him before.

“Okay, okay,” Massu says as he starts to pull away, but Tegoshi’s clinging to him too tightly. “Come on, let’s go sleep in my bed.”

Tegoshi doesn’t argue, and he also doesn’t let go of Massu even after they get under the covers, Massu rolling over onto his back with Tegoshi laying on his chest. They’re curled up like lovers and Massu doesn’t care; he feels so guilty for making Tegoshi remember a horrible nightmare that right now he’d do anything to make him happy.

“I know you won’t understand this,” Tegoshi breathes, his voice barely audible in the silent room, “but I really want to know what your other dreams last night were now.”

“I don’t think they’ll make you feel better,” Massu tells him. “I’m serious.”

“So am I,” Tegoshi says. “I want to tell you about mine, but I think it will make more sense after I hear yours.”

Massu sighs, weighing his options. “Please don’t judge me for them.”

“Trust me, after what I saw tonight, I can’t judge you for anything.”

That piques Massu’s interest, and he stares at the ceiling as he talks. “In the fourth one, you and I… we were together.” Tegoshi says nothing, not even a flinch, and Massu goes on. “We had a daughter, Tetsuko-”

“Tebuta,” Tegoshi interjects. “She was in mine, too.”

“How?” Massu asks, gaping in the darkness. “If inception isn’t possible, how did the same little girl end up in both of our dreams?”

“That’s not inception,” Tegoshi corrects. “She’s obviously a symbol of some sort. Go on. What happened in the dream with Tebuta?”

“We talked about the dream,” Massu relays. “I didn’t understand why it happened like that, and you gave me a lecture about being true to my… love.”

Tegoshi scoffs. “That sounds like me.”

“Then we watched a movie with Tebuta and fell asleep.”

“Ah,” Tegoshi says. “That sounds nice.”

“Tegoshi, what happened in your nightmare?” Massu presses. “All of that was really embarrassing for me to say, so please tell me!”

“Tebuta was there, but we weren’t together,” Tegoshi begins. “In fact, it was the exact opposite. I…” He pauses to take a breath, then fists Massu’s shirt. “I wasn’t a good person. I did bad things to people, including you.”

“Tegoshi, you’re not really that person,” Massu says soothingly. “You are incredibly annoying, but you’re also nice and gentle. I don’t think you could hurt anyone.”

Tegoshi laughs. “I’m glad you think so. I used to have bad dreams like that when I was young, where I would lash out and go crazy, but I think I blocked them out as I got older, to the point where I don’t remember them anymore. In my psychology classes I learned that it was my outlet for the trauma I endured as a child, which I never really told you about-”

“- you don’t have to,” Massu interrupts. “Ever, if you don’t want to.”

“Thanks, I’m not too keen on reliving it.” Tegoshi clears his throat. “Anyway, Tebuta appeared when I was, um, taking care of you, and she was kind of like the voice of reason. ‘No, Daddy’, she said. ‘Don’t do that’. And I didn’t get why she was calling _me_ Daddy when she looks just like _you_ until you told me about your dream just now.”

“I thought it was strange, too,” Massu offers.

“And then,” Tegoshi goes on, his fist clenched so hard that it’s shaking, and Massu hugs him tighter. “And then I _felt_ it. The remorse, the guilt, the _shame_ of what I’d done, but it was too late for you, for all of them. I broke down, screaming and hitting things and Tebuta just watched me, which made me feel even worse, and I think that’s when you woke me up.”

“You killed me?” Massu whispers, a little shocked.

Tegoshi sniffs. “Yeah. I don’t know why, honestly. I have nothing against you. I lo- you’re a good friend.”

The word Tegoshi didn’t finish weighs on Massu’s heart, and suddenly everything falls into place. “I lied,” he says, prying Tegoshi’s fist open with his own hand and leaving it there. “At the end of the dream with Tebuta, I kissed you, and it led to the last dream that was purely… physical.”

“Sounds much preferable to mine,” Tegoshi replies, relaxing as Massu coerces his fingers to extend. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a sex dream.”

“You probably don’t want to,” Massu says. “Apparently you can’t _finish_ in a dream.”

“ _What_.” Tegoshi snorts. “Forget that, then.”

“Yeah, you’d neglected to mention that to me until it was too late,” Massu adds.

Tegoshi laughs. “Also sounds like me. At least I’m awesome in _your_ dreams.”

The atmosphere is much lighter now, and Massu feels his eyelids start to droop again. “Do you feel better?” he whispers.

“Much,” Tegoshi answers, snuggling closer. “Do you?”

Massu thinks about that. He doesn’t have the weight of his lies on his shoulders anymore, but he’s not quite settled in regards to _them_. Especially since Tegoshi almost said what he’d accused Massu of feeling in his dream. There’s no reason for him to keep it hidden inside anymore, not with everything they’ve aired tonight.

“No,” he finally responds, and Tegoshi looks up at him in concern. “I think those dreams made me want to be with you.”

There. He said it, and now Tegoshi can do with it what he will. And what he does is lean up on his elbows, peering down at Massu in a mixture of curiosity and affection, and he licks his lips before saying, “I’ve wanted to be with you since long before last night,” and kisses him.

It’s a thousand times better than any dream, and completely different. Tegoshi’s kissing is slow and sensual, a complete lack of urgency, but with enough passion to make Massu’s mind spin. He _feels_ how Tegoshi feels about him in their kiss, and his wholehearted reciprocation says that it’s mutual. Massu wraps his arms around him, holding him close, and that’s all it is. The two of them kissing, saying with their mouths what they can’t say with words, and it seems like they’re stuck between reality and a dream world. And Massu thinks it’s perfect.

“We should sleep,” Tegoshi says awhile later, smiling at Massu’s pout. “I have to move tomorrow, remember?”

“About that,” Massu replies, “I think you should just stay here.”

“But I’m incredibly annoying,” Tegoshi teases. “We’re too different.”

“You can make it up to me,” Massu tells him, leaning up to brush his lips along Tegoshi’s jaw and revel in the soft noise he emits. “Consider it rent.”

“Pervert,” Tegoshi chides, and Massu laughs. “Come on, let’s be dream travellers again.”

Massu falls asleep ready for a new adventure, but he already knows that nothing will compare to the one he’ll have when he wakes up.


End file.
